Patidar churn: Will BJP pitch Naresh Patel as CM to counter Hardik?
_89476_730x419-m.jpg "Naresh Patel as BJP's CM candidate?")
As the Gujarat polls come nearer and nearer, the churning among the most politically and economically powerful Patidar or Patel community has also intensified. The recent episode featuring the release of an alleged sex CD depicting Patidar youth icon Hardik Patel has triggered a debate within the community. All this is keeping the political parties on tenterhooks.
What is politically extremely relevant is the speculation doing the rounds in the Patel circles that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with all its moves to bring the Patels back into its fold having failed, might try its trump card of fielding Naresh Patel as its chief ministerial face for these Assembly polls.
While there has been no such inclination visible from Naresh Patel or local BJP leadership as of now, the issue is being debated at length among the Patel community that sees this as a possible move by the BJP in the days to come.
Naresh Patel is a Leuva Patel who is said to be a crowd-puller at par with even Narendra Modi. An industrialist from Rajkot, which is the political nerve centre of the all important Saurashtra region that accounts for almost one third of the state’s Assembly seats, Naresh Patel is said to have the ability to convince the community towards any direction. Till now he has maintained a distance from politics.
Over the last 12 years, he emerged as the tallest leader among Leuva Patels and it is a segment of this community, particularly the youth, which has stood up against the BJP in the state. Naresh Patels's influence in the community is because he has built educational institutions, clinics, sports facilities and even a temple.
It was in January 2012 that Naresh Patel reportedly showed his organising capacity when he got some 21,000 Leuva Patels shaking hands together on the outskirts of Rajkot at the proposed site for building a temple for the community deity Khodiyar Mata. The event was an attempt at unifying the community. This was a non-political event with Patel leaders from both the main political parties the Congress and the BJP present there.
His organising and fund raising skills have been repeatedly at display during his tenure as the president of the Khodaldham Trust.
Both the parties have tried to woo him time and again on the occasion of every election. This is why is name is once again cropping up as the polls approach. But this time it is being discussed more vociferously because the political equations in context of Patels have changed dramatically over the last three years.
The Leuva Patels have the capacity to influence the poll outcome in around 35 of the 58 seats in the Saurashtra region. Apparently Naresh Patel can influence them. There are already messages being circulated among Patels saying, “Patidar Samajna 'Mr Clean' ganta Naresh Patel hashe Gujarat na mukhyamantri...!!?” (Will 'Mr Clean' of Patidar community Naresh Patel be the chief minister).
CD controversy
On the other side, anger continues to simmer over the sex CD episode as the followers of Hardik Patel are targetting the BJP for tarnishing the image of their leader. There are audio clips of women going around in which they are questioning the motive behind circulation of this CD.
The speakers in these clips are pointing out that the day is not far when the government will be encroaching upon the privacy of the common citizens after it has already accessed their information through things like Aadhar Card. They are also asking that why is it that there is no CD in circulation on the Naliya gang rape in which the names of some local BJP leaders of Kutch had allegedly surfaced.
To make matters worse for the BJP, there are also some audio clips in circulation that suggest that money is being distributed to organise 'paid protests' against Hardik in the districts. The veracity of such clips cannot be established but in this no holds barred campaign, it is the BJP that stands at the receiving end.
“The circulation of the sex CD that allegedly had Hardik has hit the BJP where it hurts. Whoever circulated the CD with whatever purpose, it is the BJP that is bearing the burden now because things like the Naliya gang rape have once again come into the limelight.
People are once again recalling the horrific incident and the anger from the masses in Kutch that had spilled on the roads. People are pointing that the BJP simply has no locus standi on issues of morality and women safety,” says Ravi Patel, a youth leader from the community in central Gujarat.
Meanwhile, the Vijay Rupani led BJP government in the state in a bid to woo the Patels is initiating steps to withdraw criminal cases lodged against the members of the community in various courts, for the violence during the reservation agitation.
The government on Wednesday reportedly requested the city sessions court to permit it to withdraw a criminal case against members of the Patidar community 'in the larger interest of people'.
The public prosecutor also requested the judge to expedite the process and take up the matter for early hearing. The government informed the court that it has decided not to prosecute the accused persons and requested appropriate order under provisions of law.
The case involving five persons was registered at Ramol police station on August 26, 2015, a day after Hardik was detained after addressing a huge rally at the GMDC ground in Ahmedabad.
Reports say that earlier, the state government had requested the sessions court to allow it to withdraw five cases registered against Patidars registered at Naroda, Ghatlodia, Shahibaug and Sabarmati police stations. The state government has made requests before various metropolitan courts to permit it to withdraw eight different cases involving agitating Patidars. The withdrawal of cases was one of the major demands raised by the Patel leaders at a meeting with the BJP leaders and the state government last month.
The ego of the Patels remains bruised over the manner in which the state had cracked down on the community during the reservation stir. There are messages being circulated among the Patels on the social media in which the community members are drawing parallels between the Mahabharata and the Patel agitation.
The protagonists in these messages can be heard saying, “The Pandavas had asked for five villages which the Kauravas refused. The result is known to everyone. In the same way the Patidars had asked for some reservation benefits that were refused and what they got was a violent crackdown. The result will be for all to see.”
First published: 16 November 2017, 20:39 IST
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